The Squirrel
by becs1153
Summary: Missing Chapter: When a memory is sparked by one of Peeta's, Katniss remembers her first unshootable game. **Takes place in The Hunger Games between chapters 19 & 20** ONE SHOT


**~This was actually a class assignment. Lol our teacher couldn't love the book more. And neither could I. ;) Reviewers will be luffed!~**

"Here," I say, placing another spoonful of broth in front of Peeta's lips.

Peeta shakes his head. "I'm full," he replies.

"You're lying," I argue, moving the spoon closer to his mouth. "You've only had three bites. Haymitch could use that excuse better."

"I'm not lying," Peeta says with a frown. I take the chance to shove the spoon into his mouth. As he swallows, he looks to the cave wall, seeming rather distant. "I used to use the excuse back home before these Games."

"For what?" I try to keep him talking. Sneaking more broth in would help me with my stubborn patient.

"I would use the leftovers from my dinner to feed a stray dog." There, another spoonful in.

"Your pet?" I'm doing good, better than I have been at least.

Peeta laughs, letting me slip another spoonful of broth into his mouth. He swallows, frowning at me. Obviously he doesn't like my trick. "No, my mother would chase him off when she could. He always came back for the food though."

It didn't surprise me; Peeta's mom hated anyone-or anything- that would dig in her trash for food, I knew from experience. "Did he have a name?" If I keep this up, the bowl will soon be gone.

"No," Peeta says quickly, avoiding the spoon I held full of broth and ready to shove into his mouth. "Did you ever have a pet?"

"No," I reply briskly, but it's a lie. Or perhaps not. It wasn't really my pet. But either way I couldn't tell about it without all of Panem knowing I hunt in the woods.

It was one of the few days Gale did not come hunting with me. He had become sick overnight, and his mother forced him to stay in bed so I was on my own.

I was checking the traps when a rustle in a tree made me stop. I swept out my bow and strung it with an arrow. Looking about, I saw nothing. Then, two beady blue eyes from a tree before me met mine. I smiled. It was a squirrel. The baker loved squirrels and would be more than happy to take another to add to the two I had already found in traps earlier. This one was missing an ear, but it wouldn't bring the price down any.

I aimed and sent the arrow for the squirrel. The arrow went directly right where the squirrel was, but I heard no sound of my prey falling from the tree. I frowned and approached the tree to see where it had gone. Another rustle made me turn, stringing my bow again. Another squirrel. This one had a missing ear too. I wondered how many squirrels were like that. I aimed and shot. Again, no sound of it meeting the ground rang in my ears.

I was growing frustrated. Was I missing the target? I took aim at a small crevice on an oak and shot. No, definitely wasn't missing. I went back to the tree that I shot the first squirrel in. I climbed up the tree to find my arrow lodged in the trunk. So what happened to the squirrel?

I turned my head at the sound of more moving leaves. There sat the squirrel just a tree off, staring me straight in the face as it flicked its tail. Frowning, I took out my bow slowly and strung it with an arrow. The squirrel still sat staring at me. I aimed and just as I let the arrow go, the squirrel disappeared up the tree.

I sat there for a moment, taking it in. Since when was a squirrel that fast or that smart? I frowned, jerked the arrow out of the tree, and climbed down. I couldn't waste all my time or arrows on a squirrel that had one ear. I made my way over to the trees I had shot in aim of the squirrel and retrieved my arrows from them.

I went along my way, ignoring the squirrel, collecting game from traps and even got lucky with a fat grazing deer. As I made my way back to the silent wire wall, I had nothing to distract my mind from the sound of the squirrel bounding from treet to tree as it followed me. With the sun going down and my hands full of game, I had nothing to gain and a lot to loose by trying with the squirrel again.

I slipped under the fence with a blow of hot air. I silently cursed the squirrel. The one piece of game I couldn't shoot was a squirrel. I narrowed my eyes as I heared it chattering from the other side of the fence.

I pushed the squirrel to the back of my mind as I made my sales and dropped off Gale's share of game and money with his mother.

The next day, Gale and I were checking traps.

"Katniss," He hissed, pointing to a tree. I turned to see the squirrel, staring at me. I cringed. Would Gale care to see me miss a squirrel with a missing ear?

"Its missing an ear," Gale commented absentmindedly. "It should be an easy kill."

I stared at the squirrel trying to decide what to do. I surely wasn't going to do the same thing I did yesterday. "You take it then," I said, handing him my bow and arrow.

Gale eyed me as he took it. He aimed; shot; and as, I thought I heard no sound of the squirrel falling from the tree. He gave me a glance and then walked up to the tree.

"I don't see it," Gale said as he climbed up the tree at a slow speed to me. He picked the arrow out of the tree and waved it at me. "Where'd it go?" He asked as if I would know.

I shrugged as Gale climbed down. He handed me my bow and arrow back.

"You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?" Gale asked as he eyed me.

I nodded. "Same thing happened yesterday."

Gale frowned. "Could it be a new mutant from the Capitol?"

"I don't know. The Capitol would make another one, knowing them."

Gale simply nodded.

We continued to check traps and shot a few game. Ignoring the squirrel was easy, but not when we were going back to the Seam.

"It bugs me," Gale muttered.

"I know," I replied.

We didn't speak of the squirrel again for the rest of the day. We made our sales, split the game and money, and went home. I would have been rather pleased with such a good day, but the squirrel ruined it all.

For weeks the squirrel followed Gale and I around. Occasionally we would try shooting at it, but with no luck.

Then one day when we were checking traps and Gale stiffened at one. He turned to me with a grin.

"What?" I asked. Game had never made Gale smile before.

In reply, Gale held up the trap to show a squirrel with one ear. It was the same squirrel we had been trying to shoot for weeks. I smiled and then started to laugh. A squirrel that couldn't be shot could be caught in a trap.

We sold the squirrel to the baker who bought it for the normal price. The extra price that it deserved was simply the memory that was shared between Gale and me. We never talked about the squirrel but sometimes I could see it his eyes when he grinned at me and I would grin back.

"One more bite," I encourage Peeta, holding the spoon filled with broth in front of him.

Peeta ignores me. "You spaced out for a minute there," He comments quietly.

"Nothing special," I reply. "Now come on and eat your soup. You're a stubborn patient."

Peeta laughs. "Just for you," he says with a smile.

I slip him a smile back as I sneak the spoon into his mouth.


End file.
